Jacobites (band)
Encyclopedia
Jacobites were an English rock band
formed in Birmingham
in 1982 by Nikki Sudden
and Dave Kusworth, following the breakup of their respective previous bands, the Swell Maps
and the Subterranean Hawks.
to restore the Stuart line to the British thrones) and completed the lineup by adding Nikki's brother Epic Soundtracks
, also formerly of the Swell Maps, and bassist Mark Lemon. The Jacobites were a more traditional, song-oriented outfit than the Swell Maps had been. Sudden and Kusworth were both strongly influenced by The Faces, Bob Dylan
, glam rock
, and, most vitally, The Rolling Stones
— their open worship of the group (Kusworth's entire body of work would later be described as "A tear-stained meeting of Johnny Thunders
' 'You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory
', the Rolling Stones' 'Wild Horses', and Neil Young
's 'Down by the River
' wrapped in scarves, bound up in leather pants, and shrouded by cigarette smoke", while Sudden called the Stones "the best band there has ever been" and was working on a Ronnie Wood bio at the time of his death), combined with their velvet-and-scarves style of dressing and their girls-and-drugs style of living, made for a natural comparison with Mick Jagger
and Keith Richards
.
The group released a string of albums and EP
s between 1984 and 1985, garnering increasing critical interest, a certain appreciation in the British underground, and great popularity in Germany, but also began shedding its original members in the latter year — Soundtracks to Crime and the City Solution
, Kusworth to a well-regarded but ill-remembered solo career.
With the breakup of the songwriting team at its heart, the Jacobites became little more than a name for the shifting backing unit Sudden used for his solo career. An American compilation was released in 1986 after the band's boozy, weary-eyed brand of romantic songwriting gained the devoted support of the similarly-minded Paul Westerberg
, and another comp followed in 1988, but the group would not exist again in meaningful form until 1993, when Sudden and Kusworth rejoined forces to recreate the Jacobites with a new lineup that featured Glenn Tranter on guitar, Carl Eugene Picôt on bass, and Mark Williams on drums: all friends from Birmingham. A series of obscure releases followed throughout the mid-1990s, doted upon by the band's cult following, particularly in mainland Europe, but otherwise generally ignored. After God Save Us Poor Sinners appeared in 1998, the Jacobites remained silent while Sudden and Kusworth continued their solo careers. With Sudden's death in 2006, the band is now permanently defunct.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
formed in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in 1982 by Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden
Nikki Sudden was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks while attending Solihull School in Solihull.-Career:...
and Dave Kusworth, following the breakup of their respective previous bands, the Swell Maps
Swell Maps
Swell Maps were an experimental English rock group of the 1970s from Birmingham that foreshadowed the birth of post-punk.Influenced by the disparate likes of T.Rex and the German progressive outfit, Can, they created a new soundscape that would be heavily mined by others in the post-punk era...
and the Subterranean Hawks.
Career
The two had met in early 1980, with an initial live performance together in May 1982 under the name Six Hip Princes, but it was not until 1984, after Sudden had already issued two solo releases, that the duo adopted the name Jacobites (after the rebel movementJacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
to restore the Stuart line to the British thrones) and completed the lineup by adding Nikki's brother Epic Soundtracks
Epic Soundtracks
Epic Soundtracks was the stage name of the British musician Kevin Paul Godfrey . Born in Croydon, Surrey, he was brought up in Solihull, Midlands with his brother Adrian Nicholas, who was known as Nikki Sudden .In 1972 Kevin and Nicholas formed the nucleus of what was to become the post-punk rock...
, also formerly of the Swell Maps, and bassist Mark Lemon. The Jacobites were a more traditional, song-oriented outfit than the Swell Maps had been. Sudden and Kusworth were both strongly influenced by The Faces, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, and, most vitally, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
— their open worship of the group (Kusworth's entire body of work would later be described as "A tear-stained meeting of Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
' 'You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory
You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory
"You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory" is a song released in 1978 by ex-New York Dolls member Johnny Thunders. The title was taken from a line in the "Better Living Through TV" episode of the sitcom The Honeymooners, and was written for his close friend Fabienne Shine.Considered by many his...
', the Rolling Stones' 'Wild Horses', and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's 'Down by the River
Down by the River
"Down by the River" is a song composed by Neil Young. It was first released on his 1969 album with Crazy Horse, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Young explained the context of story when introducing it in New Orleans on September 27, 1984. It depicts a man who catches his woman cheating on him,...
' wrapped in scarves, bound up in leather pants, and shrouded by cigarette smoke", while Sudden called the Stones "the best band there has ever been" and was working on a Ronnie Wood bio at the time of his death), combined with their velvet-and-scarves style of dressing and their girls-and-drugs style of living, made for a natural comparison with Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
.
The group released a string of albums and EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s between 1984 and 1985, garnering increasing critical interest, a certain appreciation in the British underground, and great popularity in Germany, but also began shedding its original members in the latter year — Soundtracks to Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution was a rock music band formed by Australian singer and songwriter Simon Bonney.They had four distinct line-ups: Sydney in 1977–78, Melbourne in 1979, and two groupings in Berlin from 1985–1990. The only common member in all four line-ups was Bonney.Other members included:...
, Kusworth to a well-regarded but ill-remembered solo career.
With the breakup of the songwriting team at its heart, the Jacobites became little more than a name for the shifting backing unit Sudden used for his solo career. An American compilation was released in 1986 after the band's boozy, weary-eyed brand of romantic songwriting gained the devoted support of the similarly-minded Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
, and another comp followed in 1988, but the group would not exist again in meaningful form until 1993, when Sudden and Kusworth rejoined forces to recreate the Jacobites with a new lineup that featured Glenn Tranter on guitar, Carl Eugene Picôt on bass, and Mark Williams on drums: all friends from Birmingham. A series of obscure releases followed throughout the mid-1990s, doted upon by the band's cult following, particularly in mainland Europe, but otherwise generally ignored. After God Save Us Poor Sinners appeared in 1998, the Jacobites remained silent while Sudden and Kusworth continued their solo careers. With Sudden's death in 2006, the band is now permanently defunct.
Studio Albums
- Jacobites (1984)
- Robespierre's Velvet Basement (1985)
- Howling Good Times (1994)
- Old Scarlett (1995)
- God Save Us Poor Sinners (1998)
Compilation Albums
- Lost In A Sea Of Scarves (Rarities Collection) (1985)
- The Ragged School (1986)
- Fortune Of Fame (Big Hits & Broken Biscuits) (1988)
- Fortune Of Fame (Big Hits & Stereo Landings) (1988)
- Heart Of Hearts (The Spanish Album) (Rarities Collection) (1995, Spain)
- Hawks Get Religion (1996)
Singles
- Shame For The Angels 7" / 12" (1984)
- Pin Your Heart 12" (1985)
- When The Rain Comes 12" (1986)
- Don't You Ever Leave Me CD (1993)
- Can't You See? CD (1995)
- Over & Over 7" (1997)
- Teenage Christmas 7" (1998)